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Lorna Luft
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Me and My Shadow: A Family Memoir Substance Abuse: Breaking the Family CycleSpeaker Information
The world first discovered Lorna Luft through her delightful appearances on her mother's landmark CBS television series, "The Judy Garland Show." In typical showbiz fashion, she soon joined the family act for a summer concert tour, the highlight of which was Garland's third and final appearance on Broadway at New York's famed Palace Theater. In this legendary month-long engagement, Garland shared the bill with her children, Lorna and Joe. The show was recorded live and subsequently released on the ABC-Paramount label as "Judy Garland At Home at the Palace: Opening Night."
A student at the Banff School of Fine Arts, Luft returned to the Broadway stage at age nineteen to star in the Neil Simon/Burt Bacharach/Hal David hit musical "Promises, Promises." That performance earned her the American Guild of Variety Artists "Rising Star of the Year" Award.
In addition to regional theatre and international productions of "The Boy Friend," "Grease," "Carnival," "Little Shop of Horrors," and most recently as Mama Rose in "Gypsy," Luft starred in national tours of "They're Playing Our Song," "Jerry Herman's Broadway Years," and as Miss Adelaide in Jerry Zaks' national and world tour productions of "Guys & Dolls," a performance which earned her the Carbonell Award for "Best Supporting Actress."
Concurrent with her career in theatre, Luft is also a gifted vocalist. She's conquered nightclubs around the world, and for three consecutive years performed during the Christmas holidays at New York's Rainbow & Stars. She's had the honor of performing for the Royal Family in tribute concerts honoring Sammy Davis, Jr., and Ira Gershwin, both held at London's Royal Albert Hall and for former President and Mrs. Bush during the Kennedy Center Inaugural Anniversary Gala.
Luft is familiar to American television audiences for her featured roles on "Love, American Style;" "One Life to Live;" "The New Twilight Zone;" "McCloud;" "Tales from the Dark Side;" "Murder, She Wrote;" "Caroline in the City;" "The Nanny;" and a 22-episode supporting role on CBS' medical drama, "Trapper John, M.D." In movies, she has made cameo appearances in "I Could Go On Singing," "My Giant," "'54," and "Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows," which she also produced. But she is best remembered as Pink Lady Paulette Rebchuck in the camp classic "Grease 2," as well as her humorous role in "Where the Boys Are '84."
In 1998, Luft added a new dimension to her multi-faceted career – that of New York Times bestselling author upon the release of her memoir, Me and My Shadows: Living with the Legacy of Judy Garland. In the book, Luft candidly discloses how she was witness to her mother's problems with addiction, as well as her own bout with substance abuse. Her memoirs were optioned by ABC, which broadcast a 4-hour television miniseries starring Emmy Award-winner Judy Davis as Judy Garland. Luft served as co-executive producer, and when "Life with Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows" aired in February 2001, it drew upwards of 20 million viewers. The program garnered the highest ratings of the season and won 5 Emmy Awards, including "Outstanding Lead Actress" for Judy Davis and "Outstanding Supporting Actress" for Tammy Blanchard, both of whom portrayed Judy Garland.
Recently Luft began her most ambitious project to date – her highly-acclaimed multi-media theatrical production of "Songs My Mother Taught Me: A Celebration of the Music of Judy Garland." This newly conceived one-woman theatrical show melds one of America's most familiar songbooks with the intensely personal, often riotously funny story of a mother and her daughter. After decades of avoidance, Luft finally approaches her mother's legendary songbook for the first time; the result is a truly phenomenal celebration of Judy Garland's musical genius. "Songs My Mother Taught Me," which Variety called "a rousing, dramatically riveting musical event," ran for 11 weeks at the historic Canon Theater in Beverly Hills and was awarded two Los Angeles Ovation Awards for "Best World Premiere Musical" and "Best Musical Direction."
Luft also takes pride in her extensive participation in various children's and AIDS related charities, including the Los Angeles AIDS Walk, The Children's Wish Foundation International, and The Special Olympics. She served for five years as a Vice President of the Muscular Dystrophy Council and joined Athletes & Entertainers for Kids. She's been an advocate for drug rehabilitation and a key speaker for The Council on Alcohol & Drugs. She was honored in 2001 with a Golden Achievement Award by the Roosters Foundation for her tireless humanitarian efforts.
From her early work with her mother to spectacular concert performances, acclaim on Broadway, and in television, Lorna Luft proves again and again that she's a stellar entertainer, proudly carrying the torch of her family's legendary show business legacy.
Testimonials
"Lorna Luft was wonderful to work with and great in a crowd of donors. She told a powerful story of how alcohol and drugs impacted her life, both as the daughter of Judy Garland and her own life as an actress, wife and mother."
- The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Houston